For certain, I had absolutely no idea the number of people that would be talking to Jon and myself. Even though I grew up around fire trucks, and seeing people in uniform, I hadn't seen so many different vehicles and uniforms all in one spot as I did right then.

Not only was there an ambulance, with two paramedics loading Paul into the back, but also several police cruisers and unmarked police cars parked along side the pavilion where we had eaten lunch earlier. My father, who had been the one to call for help on his cell phone when Jon and I ran out from the bushes screaming, was standing with us as we sat at one of the picnic tables. I listened as he told an officer, who was taking notes, about what happened after Jon and I had come running out of the bushes.

Honestly, I could remember every detail of it, and I wished that I hadn't. Right from the moment that I laid my eyes on Paul, his battered body laying there, I thought I would have felt some satisfaction at seeing that Paul had been given a taste of his own medicine. So many times I pictured in my mind what I would love to have seen happen to Paul for what he did to me, not just the rape, but also for all the years of abuse and torment he had inflicted upon me. Instead, all I could feel was ashamed at myself for those thoughts. No one deserved the punishment that Paul had suffered, no matter what he had done to me. All my thoughts of revenge, and anger evaporated, and were replaced with an overwhelming sense of concern and compassion for Paul.

I watched the paramedics finish loading Paul's motionless body into the ambulance. Without giving it a second thought, I stood up, and walked over to the ambulance. The paramedics were beginning to close the doors when one of them noticed me walking towards them.

The words that I uttered when I was close enough to them surprised even myself, and certainly caused Jon, who had followed me, to gasp out loud. "I would like to ride with him if I could," I said, looking straight into the eyes of the lead paramedic.

By this time, my father had finished with the police officer and had heard what I asked of the paramedic. "Son, I don't think that would be a good idea," he said, resting his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at my father. "Dad, I know what Paul did to me. I'm still angry with him, but I can't explain it. He's in pain and I feel as if I need to be there with him. Please let me go Dad."

"You're not going anywhere without me Jay," Jon spoke up.

The paramedics looked at us, then back each other, "Normally, we allow a close relative or friend to ride with a patient, but never two."

"Sir, I know this is your call, and if you decide not to, I won't be able to say anything else about it, but I know Paul. I'd like to be with him," I told the lead paramedic. Then I turned to Jon, "Of course I want you to be with me Jon."

My father looked into my eyes, and saw how determined I was. I am a stubborn person, and my father rarely was able to change my mind once I had it set on something. Finally looking at the paramedics, he nodded his head, giving his permission for me to join them. "Jon, I can't speak for your mother. You'll have to ask her yourself."

Jon's mother, having overheard the conversation we were having walked up behind her son. "I know Jon will be safe with you Jason," she said looking at me, "and your parents and I will be joining you at the hospital. Go with Jason, son. I'll see you when we get to the hospital."

It was at that time that my mother joined the rest of us. "Everything is packed. Honey," she said, addressing my father. "Will you help me get the coolers into the car?"

"I'll be right there, dear." he said to my mother, who had already started to make her way back to the coolers. "You be good, boys. Stay out of the paramedic's way so he can do his job. I'm really proud of you Son," the last part he said as he rested his hand on top of my head and ruffled my hair a bit.

"Alright boys, hop in. We need to get going," the lead paramedic said.

Wasting no more time, both Jon and I hopped into the back of the ambulance followed by the lead paramedic. The other one closed the doors on us and made his way to the front where he climbed in and started the engine. Pretty soon, we were moving along the grass towards the road that would take us out of the park.

For anyone who has never ridden in an ambulance, it's fast. I could remember riding in my father's fire truck when I was younger, but it was never going much faster than my dad usually drove. The ambulance, however, was really moving. The lights were flashing and the siren was blaring. Jon and I sat near the doors of the ambulance, giving the paramedic enough room to do what he could for Paul. Tears were coming to my eyes as I saw all the bruises that appeared on his body as Paul's shirt was opened. I looked on as the paramedic checked Paul over, taking his blood pressure and replacing the temporary bandages covering his various wounds with fresh ones. Jon just sat there, staring at Paul, an unreadable expression on his face. He never spoke, but he held my hand during the whole trip.

Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital wasn't too much different than the hospital I had been brought to when I was checked out after my rape. I guess what they say is true, once you've been in one hospital, you've been in them all. Even the walls were the same color, and the pictures on the walls had that same look, like they had been bought off the shelf at a Wal-Mart.

I must say this, however, the staff at the hospital are top notch. As soon as the ambulance parked at the entrance to emergency, they were there waiting for us. The whole trip hadn't taken any more than about five minutes. Having flashing lights and a siren certainly speeds things along when traveling. Two nurses and a doctor met the ambulance and opened the doors. Jon and I were the first ones to get out, allowing the hospital staff and paramedics room to do their jobs. Once Paul's stretcher was out of the ambulance, and the wheels were lowered to the ground allowing the stretcher to be wheeled into Emergency, I refused to leave Paul's side. Jon, of course, refused to leave mine.

Upon entering Emergency, Paul's stretcher was brought into one of the examination rooms where the doctor and nurses began to remove his filth ridden clothes. They had most of his clothes off now, and I began to see the extent of the injuries that he had suffered. Bruises covered a good portion of his body. Pronounced black and blue marks could be seen on his ribs, legs, arms, and head. His left eye was swollen shut, he had a cut lip, his nose was bleeding, there were several cuts all over his arms, and there was a puncture wound in his lower abdomen.

Nothing could have prepared me for what Jon and I saw next, however, as Paul's underwear was cut off him revealing a severely bruised penis and testicles. Blood could also be seen between his legs just below his testicles. I felt at that moment that I was going to be sick, Jon didn't look much better. A nurse finally noticed that we were standing there watching the events unfold in the examination room, and she ushered us out of the room and into the main waiting area.

Both Jon and I sat down. I still felt a little queasy, and had to bend forward a bit to try to catch my breath and calm my stomach down. Eventually the feeling in my stomach subsided and I was able to sit straight again in my chair. I looked over at Jon, who was shaking a bit and looked as white as a ghost.

To hell with what people thought, I told myself as I wrapped my arm around Jon and hugged him close to me. He leaned over towards me, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Who the hell could do that to a kid?" Jon asked. I don't think he was speaking to anyone in particular. Certainly I didn't know how to answer his question. The kind of abuse that Paul had obviously suffered was extreme by both our standards.

"I don't know, my love," I answered him. It was all I could say.

"I still hate what he did to you Jay, and want him to be punished for it, but no one deserves to be beat up like that," he said. I could tell what he was trying to tell me, and I agreed with him. Paul did deserve to be punished for what he had done to me. Was this the way I wanted to see him learn his lesson? No. No matter how angry I was with him, I simply could not conceive of doing to another person what someone did to Paul.

Don't ask me how long Jon and I sat in the waiting area until my parent's and Jon's mother arrived at the hospital. It certainly seemed like hours, but once they saw the two of us, they headed right for us where my mother gave me a big hug. I really needed a hug at that moment, and I hung on to her as if my life depended on it. The exact same scene was being repeated beside me as Jon was in the arms of his mother. My father stood behind me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

Releasing each other, my parent's sat down in the seats beside where Jon and I had been sitting before, waiting for news from the doctor about Paul's condition. We didn't have to wait much longer, as the doctor who Jon and I recognized as the doctor to first look Paul over, came out into the waiting area. Seeing Jon and I, he headed for us. I could tell he was tired, but other than that I couldn't read his expression. I just hoped that Paul would be alright.

"That young man in there owes his life to you two boys," the doctor started. Jon and I just looked at each other with bewildered looks on our faces.

"Us?" Jon and I said at the same time, looking back at the doctor.

"Yes," he answered. "He has suffered three broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, bruising on most of his body including his genitals. His right arm is broken in two places and we have found what appears to be belt marks on his back and buttocks. There is also evidence that he has been sexually assaulted as there is tearing in his rectum. We are taking him into surgery right now to remove his spleen and to make sure there aren't any further internal injuries."

"But is he going to be alright?" I asked the doctor.

"After a long recovery, yes," he replied. "Do either of you know him?"

"Yes," both Jon and I answered.

"Are you his friends?"

"No!" we both answered, the intensity of our answer obviously surprising the doctor.

"Doctor..." my father started, standing up.

"Doctor Sam Gerard," the doctor supplied.

"Doctor Gerard, Paul is a classmate of our sons here. Both of them have had run- ins with Paul. You should also known that Paul is wanted by the police for an assault upon my son, Jason."

"I see," Doctor Gerard said. "Well, he won't be doing much of anything for the next few weeks at least. Provided there are no complications, he'll be released from the hospital sometime next week. If, as you say, he is wanted by the police, they'll more than likely file to have him released into their custody upon his release."

"That's good to hear," my father said. "What happens now?"

"Well, you aren't Paul's parents, nor are you his legal guardians so any further information about his condition is restricted for now. Since these two young men here were instrumental in getting Paul here in time for us to be able to do something, I felt obligated to advise you of his injuries and that we will be able to help him. Now, if you will excuse me," he said, turning to leave.

"Will we be able to see him?" I spoke up suddenly.

The doctor stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me and smiled. "Yes, once he has been stabilized and is in the ICU he will be permitted to have a limited amount of visitors." With that he turned once again and made his way back to the examination room where Paul was being prepped for surgery.

"Jason?" my father said, trying to get my attention. I could feel everyone staring at me, not that I could blame them. I was as surprised as they were at having just asked that.

"What?" I said, turning to face him. "Is it wrong that I want to see Paul?"

"No, of course not," my mother answered, getting up from her chair and standing beside my father, "we're just curious as to why you would want to?"

I looked at Jon. He hadn't said anything, but I could tell he was wondering the same thing. "I know what Paul did to me. It hurts me still, but no one deserves what happened to Paul. I thought I would feel happy that someone taught him a lesson, how can I though? I looked at him, and saw what happened to him. It made me sick to my stomach. After all he did to me, why then do I feel sorry for him instead? Shouldn't I hate him for what he did to me?" During this time, I had begaun to cry, I was really confused. What I told them was correct. I thought that seeing Paul made to suffer as I had would make me feel better, but instead, all I felt was ashamed at my own feelings and sorry for what happened to him.

"Babe, no," Jon said, finally getting off his chair. He came up to me and pulled me into a hug. "You're an amazing person Jay. I love you for that. I didn't know how to feel myself. Like you, I thought I would be happy seeing Paul get what he deserved. What happened to him, though, is not right. I'm ashamed to admit that I wanted to beat him up for you, but now that I have seen what happened to him, I just can't stop feeling ashamed at myself for thinking the way I did."

"Jon's right Son," my father stated. "The best trait we have as human beings is our capacity for love and compassion. Hatred is never a healthy emotion. The fact that, despite what Paul did to you, you can feel the way you do, makes you a very strong individual. You're right, no one should ever have to go through what Paul must have, and I hope who ever did this is brought to justice."

The tears had stopped; I was still in Jon's arms, and now all I could do was wait for Paul to get out of surgery. My parent's obviously guessed that I wasn't about to leave, and opted to stay with me. Jon, of course, was always at my side. We held each other's hands the whole time while waiting. Only one thing interrupted us, and that was the loud complaint both our stomachs made. Looking at the clock I realized that we had been sitting here for the last two hours, making it almost supper time.

"Sounds like there are two hungry boys in this room," Jon's mother laughed. We couldn't help but giggle at her comment.

"You mean they'll let you order pizza at the hospital?" I asked him. I had never heard of anyone ordering pizza to a hospital before. Not waiting for an answer, I immediately started itemizing the toppings I would want on the pizza. Jon, not willing to be out-done, was doing the same. My father was doing his best to keep up with our requests while our mothers were laughing in the background.

The sight must have been humorous to the staff at the hospital, as several doctors and nurses were also providing their input as to what to put on the pizza, while laughing about the situation. I guess I would have seen the whole thing as hilarious too, if I wasn't a teenager, but as it was, all I could think about was the pizza and my stomach.

Don't ask me how he did it, but my father managed to get the pizza ordered. Hopefully with the toppings I had asked for, but with all the commotion, who knows what we'll end up with. In the end, it didn't really matter, as I was sure my stomach would handle just about anything.

"We should call Vivian," I stated when things had settled down some. "She should know about Paul."

"Yeah, not a bad idea Jay," Jon replied. "You still have her card, babe?"

"Yeah, right here," I said, taking her card out of the wallet that was in my back pocket. "Dad, can I use your phone please?" My father agreed and handed me his phone. I dialed the phone number Vivian had written on the back of her card.

The phone rang four times before it picked up. "Hello?" said the voice on the other end.

"Is this Vivian?" I asked.

"Yes it is, may I ask who's calling please?"

"Ummm, it's Jason, from yesterday." I answered.

"Oh, hi Jason! I'm sorry; I didn't recognize your voice. I was meaning to get a hold of you, unfortunately we haven't had any luck in locating Paul. We did meet with his father though."

"Yeah, my dad's had to deal with him a couple of times. I'm actually calling about Paul. He got hurt and is here at the hospital," I said.

"Wait a minute; is this about that kid that was found in Bronte Creek Park? That was Paul Hayes?" Vivian asked me.

"Yeah. Jon and I found him beaten up pretty bad and now we're here in the hospital waiting for the doctors to tell us if Paul will be okay."

"Okay, I'm on my over there. I want to hear all about this when I get there. Are there any police officers over there?"

"No, I don't think so," I told her.

"Okay, who's with you right now besides Jon?" she asked.

"My parents and Jon's mom."

"Okay, you stay with them and I'll be right down there. I'll talk to you later Jason. Bye bye."

"Bye." The line went dead after that and I handed the phone back to my father. "She's on her way down here," I announced.

A short time later, the pizzas arrived. That poor delivery guy didn't have a chance, as Jon and I practically ripped the bag from his hands and took out the pizzas that were inside, discarding the bag as we brought the pizzas to the table in the waiting room. The pizza was intoxicating, and the nurses and doctors who walked by couldn't help but take a sniff and appreciate the fresh pizza smell.

My father paid the pizza guy who was still suffering from the effects of getting trampled over by a pair of teenagers. He recovered quickly enough after getting paid, gathered up the discarded pizza bag, and left the hospital.

The pizza was the best. Jon and I were already on our second slice each by the time my parent's and Jon's mother managed to get a piece. Jon and I didn't talk with each other as we were more into the pizza than conversation, but my mother and Jon's mother were in a fairly humorous discussion. My father had decided to enjoy his pizza while reading one of the various out of date magazines that the hospital provides.

We were just starting on our third slice each when Vivian came in. Seeing us in the waiting area, she made her way towards us. I must say she is a stunning individual when she's out of uniform. No longer tied back, her straight brown hair was now let loose and hung just below her shoulders. By no means was she a tall person but when she entered a room, there was no mistaking the powerful presence that she projected. There was an almost motherly aura about her, and when she spoke you couldn't help but pay attention to every word she said. At the same time you also couldn't help but feel safe around her, that you could trust her, to tell her anything and know that she wouldn't judge you.

"Well, I see that we have ordered some take out. Mind if I join you while we wait for word about Paul?" she asked, sitting down in the chair beside me.

Shaking our heads, we passed one of the pizza boxes to her, which she accepted gladly, taking out a piece before putting the box back down on the table. A couple of off duty nurses also walked near us, and smelling the pizza looked at us and smiled. We smiled back at them and opened the box, indicating to them that they could have a slice. The hint was not lost on them, and they readily took a piece of pizza each. Thanking us, they left the hospital, savoring the taste of their pizzas.

By the time we were too full to eat any more, both pizzas were almost completely gone. The last two pieces we gave to a couple of young girls who were waiting with an older woman. I guess they were about nine years of age, and like Jon and myself, gobbled down the offered pizza in seconds. The older woman thanked us for the pizza, and we went back to our seats, waiting for the doctor to come out to give us any news about Paul's condition.

As it turned out, we didn't have to wait much longer as the same doctor we had talked to before entered the waiting area and walked towards us.

"All right, we've repaired the damage caused during Paul's assault. Thankfully, other than the ruptured spleen and the broken bones, the only other internal injuries were slightly bruised kidneys. We'll be keeping an eye on those over the next few days to make sure they are still functioning properly. All indications are that Paul is going to make a full recovery, and should be able to be released from the hospital in a week's time."

"Can we see him?" I asked the doctor.

"He is in the ICU right now, and still unconscious. I'll let two of you into the room for a couple minutes, but that's all," Doctor Gerard said.

Doctor Gerard led Jon and myself to the back where the ICU was located. There Paul laid, various tubes and wires sticking out from parts of his body. The room was slightly chilled, and Jon and I shivered involuntarily as we walked towards Paul's bed. Seeing him lying there, in the condition he was in, made me sad. Sad for Paul because he obviously didn't have anyone to be there for him like I had with Jon, my parents, and Jon's mother.

All the hate and anger over what Paul had done to me was gone in that instant. All I could see, was someone who was lonely, and needing a friend. I looked over at Jon, and I could see in his eyes, a mirror of my own feelings. His eyes were getting moist as he saw Paul laying there. My eyes were also filling up with tears. I reached out my hand and touched Paul's, holding his hand in mine as I leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "I forgive you Paul. I'm here for you, and so is Jon. We'll help you anyway we can. I promise."

At that point Doctor Gerard, who was standing just inside the door to the ICU spoke up. "Okay boys, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Thanks for letting us see him doc," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. Jon and I left the ICU and headed back to the waiting area where my parents, Jon's mother, and Vivian sat waiting. I walked over to my mother and gave her a hug, sobbing lightly against her chest. She just held me, and rubbed my back, letting me cry.

Letting her go, I looked over at Vivian, who had a sad look on her face. I went over to her and, though I didn't know her as well, wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. She was surprised at first, but soon brought her arms around me and hugged me back. "Thank you for coming for us," I told her.

"Thank you for thinking of me," she answered. After a short time, Jon came up and joined us in one big group hug. When I felt her start to move away from me Jon and I both let go.

"What's going to happen to Paul now?" I asked her.

"Well, I'm going to have to talk to the doctor about Paul's condition. I'll then call the station and have them send an officer to stay with Paul. He'll be placed under arrest for the assault on you. The officer will also be there to protect Paul from whomever it was that did this to him, just in case they wanted to finish the job."

I frowned at hearing this, and looked at Jon. He didn't look too happy at hearing this either, and had his head down a bit. I then looked back at Vivian. She was a smart woman and could tell that something was up immediately.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked us, looking at both Jon and myself as she did.

"What will happen to Paul when he's out of the hospital?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"He'll be put in jail and processed as a sex offender, then released back into his father's custody until his first court appearance," she answered.

"I agree that Paul needs to be punished for what he did to me, but I'm worried about him as well," I said. "I mean, no matter what he did to me, no one deserves to be beaten like that, and what if it was his father that did this to him?"

Vivian seemed to think about this for a few seconds before she responded to me. "I agree with you Jason. No one deserves to be beaten, and after seeing Paul's father and the house he lives in, I agree that there is a good possibility that his father did indeed do this to him. If that is the case, then Paul will most likely be put into juvenile detention until his first court appearance."

"Is there no other way? We both saw Paul laying there," I said, nodding my head to Jon. "Despite what he did to me, we feel sorry for what happened to him and want him to get help. Not just for what happened to him, but maybe so he won't be such a mean person anymore."

"The only way Paul would be able to stay out of detention, would be for someone to be his guarantor. That means, someone would have to promise the courts that they would ensure that Paul would be at his first court appearance. I don't know of anyone right now who'd be willing to do that, so in all likelihood, he'll be placed in detention. Now, let me go talk to the doctor about Paul's condition and then I'll call the station," she said.

While Vivian went to see the doctor, Jon and I sat back down with our parents. "Jon what are we going to do?" I asked him.

"I don't know babe," he replied.

"He needs to be punished, but not like that. I don't know why, but when I saw Paul laying there in that hospital bed, I got a little sad," I said. Jon immediately put his arm around me and I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

A short time later, Vivian came back into the waiting area. "All right, I've checked with the doctor to get the report on Paul's injuries, and I've contacted the station so Paul will have a guard outside his room until he's released."

At that moment, an uniformed police officer walked into Emergency, and upon seeing Vivian, walked towards her. Vivian spoke with him for a short time before he headed into the back and towards the ICU.

"Now that that is taken care of, I can head on home to rest. I suggest you two do the same." With that, she gave Jon and myself a hug each, shook our parents' hands, then walked out of the hospital.

"Come on dear," my mother said. "Let's get you boys back to Sarah's house."

"Are you and Dad staying over night as well?" I asked.

My mother looked at my father who shrugged his shoulders. Then she looked at Jon's mother who nodded. "Yes dear, it looks like we'll be staying the night also."

"Cool!" I exclaimed. "Maybe we can watch a movie together," I suggested to everyone.

"Awesome babe!" Jon exclaimed. "I can't wait to snuggle up with you on the couch."

"All right you two," Jon's mother laughed, along with everyone else in the room.

Knowing that Paul was safe for the night, we headed back to the cars, got in, and headed for Jon's house. The ride to his house was made in silence, with Jon and myself sitting in the back seat of his mother's car holding hands. Since we were in Oakville, it took some time for us to get back to his house, and it was starting to get dark. The day's events had taken their toll on us, and it was starting to show. Jon and I both were starting to yawn frequently. Jon began to fall asleep, his head resting on my shoulder.

Getting back to the house, we got out of the car. I think Jon had just fallen asleep when we pulled into the driveway as he jerked his head up and opened his eyes suddenly, looking around.

"We're home babe," I told him. He smiled at me and opened the door on his side of the car. I did the same, getting out of the car and closing the door behind me. Getting into the house certainly helped to wake both Jon and myself up as the two of us immediately headed for the entertainment center to select a movie that we both wanted to watch. The one we picked was Men in Black. I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on his big screen television.

The movie was as good as I remembered it, but it was even better seeing it on a television as large as the one Jon had. Jon's mother had made us all a batch of popcorn, and it didn't take long to devour it. She had also laid out some potato chips, and vegetables with dip. It was one of the best nights I had ever had.

All of us were pretty tired after the movie. Jon and I decided it was time to climb into bed. We gave each of our parents a hug, and then drudgingly made our way up the stairs to Jon's bedroom. I couldn't tell you how we managed to remove our clothing or climb into bed and pull the covers over us, but the moment our heads touched the pillows, we were fast asleep.

Some of you may recognize the main theme in this story: forgiveness. As human beings, we are quick to judge, to blame, and to take revenge. We lose sight of the fact that the best way to solve our problems is through love and compassion. Our ability to forgive others is simply a way for us to show that love and compassion. Keep on sending me those comments. You can reach me at: greywolf_0173@hotmail.com or jasonfinigan@yahoo.com